type IV pili
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDiscovery of a New Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV Pilus Assembly Factor, TfpCMost bacterial species express one or more extracellular organelles called pili/fimbriae that are required for many properties of each bacterial cell. The Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV pilus is a major virulence and colonization factor for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. We have discovered a new protein of...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceAncestral Reconstructions Decipher Major Adaptations of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea upon Radiation into Moderate Terrestrial and Marine EnvironmentsUnlike all other archaeal lineages, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread and abundant in all moderate and oxic environments on Earth. The evolutionary adaptations that led to such unprecedented ecological success of a microbial clade characterized by highly conserved energy and carbon metabolisms have, however, remained...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySpecies-Specific Recognition of Sulfolobales Mediated by UV-Inducible Pili and S-Layer Glycosylation PatternsType IV pili can be found on the cell surface of many archaea and bacteria where they play important roles in different processes. The UV-inducible pili system of Sulfolobales (Ups) pili from the crenarchaeal Sulfolobales species are essential in establishing species-specific mating partners, thereby assisting in genome stability. With this work, we show that different Sulfolobus species have specific regions...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceBottom-Up Fabrication of Protein Nanowires via Controlled Self-Assembly of Recombinant Geobacter PilinsThe discovery in 2005 of conductive protein appendages (pili) in the metal-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens challenged our understanding of biological electron transfer and pioneered studies in electromicrobiology that revealed the electronic basis of many microbial metabolisms and interactions. The protein nature of the pili afforded opportunities for...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTad Pili Play a Dynamic Role in Caulobacter crescentus Surface ColonizationBacteria are able to colonize surfaces in environmental, industrial, and medical settings, where they form resilient communities called biofilms. In order to control bacterial surface colonization, microbiologists need to gain a detailed understanding of the processes that bacteria use to live at the liquid-surface interface and that allow them to adhere to and move on surfaces and eventually grow and persist on solid media. To...